FGCU Food Forest !

(Food Forest Trailer Artwork)

After going through the tour of the food forest with my colloquium peers for the first time, I was amazed by the different medical usages that some of the plants have. I went on the field trip with a positive opened mindset and was ready to learn new things about my environment. Beginning with the Spanish needle plant outside the front of the food forest, I was fascinated learning about the usage of the plant to rub on mosquito bites and it acts as a Benadryl to reduce itching and irritation. Being a pre-med major, this plant made me realize that the environment and certain plants does have an important aspect in  medical treatments and medicine. Moreover, my interest in the tour of the food forest sparked when I found out that certain plants can produce a Holistic approach for treatments such as provide a daily source of multivitamins. I thought this field trip was definitely well worth the experience because it gave me the opportunity to be more a part of FGCU's sustainable environment and be aware of the free organic foods that FGCU has to offer to the students. I was also pleased in seeing how well the students at FGCU have maintained the various plants and food within the garden.

(Hibiscus Plant)

After experiencing the food forest for myself, my opinions on organic grown foods/ vegetables changed. I like the fact that the food forest uses nature, such as insects, animals, and just natural substances to develop their food and plants. They do not use any harmful chemicals or substances when growing crops and this actually makes it healthier for students to eat. This made me realized that by me continuing to buy non-organic vegetables may harm me in the future mostly because they contain many chemicals that eventually can become toxic to our bodies.

Some of the interesting things that I learned about the edible species are their medical and general
usages. Some of the plants that I was introduced to within the food forest could have been used as just a regular snack; such as the elderberries. Another plant that interested me was the growth of plants that could be eaten to get multivitamins, and the hibiscus plant that could be used in different tea. The last edible plant that caught my interest was a plant that could be eaten and used as a peppermint.

 This field trip gave me a new respect for the food that I eat and the environment and resources needed to produce these crops because it made me realize that even though I want to be a doctor, not every symptom a patient may contain does not have to be treated with a drug. There are some holistic approaches that can include various organic plants and can reduces the number of harmful chemicals and drugs that a patient places in his or her body. Also I now realize the importance of eating as a good amount of organic foods to reduce my chances of having health related problems. In order to produce these organic crops, a large space, with a reduced opportunity of harmful animals endangering these crops are needed. The food forest also needs a lot of volunteers and man labor to keep the environment safe, healthy and natural.

A part of FGCU's mission statement is the topic sustainability. The sustainable portion of FGCU's mission statement states that the students must be able to achieve their academic goals and contribute to environmental sustainability, diversity, community partnerships and many more(1). With that being said, the food forest does fit into our mission in sustainability because it is the students at FGCU that are maintain the environment and crops that are growing within the food forest while maintaining our grade. The food forest gives it's free organic crops to the students of FGCU as a token of their appreciation for our volunteering services and tuition that helps pay for the resources needed to maintain the forest.

Some of the main ways we can incorporate some of the practices I learned locally or individually is by creating information packets and pamphlets that explains the importance of service learning and promoting an environmentally sustainable campus. In addition, by helping the food forest out by volunteering to work in their garden, and actually use their resources rather than shopping for organic foods at stores.

The food forest can be related to the Nature Deficit Disorder or Restorative Effects of nature because the food forest can be used as a therapeutic method that students with and without ADHD can use to be calm and distracted. Generally many college students undergo stress due to studying, class work, exams, and the feeling of needing to be the best in college, therefore, one of the resources that our campus has to offer is the food forest that can be used as a therapy to reduce college student's anxiety and stress factors. Volunteering at the food forest offers maintaining the crops, gardening, and just participating within our sustainable environment that can give the students of FGCU the chance to have a break from stress and get fresh air to clear their minds while doing something beneficial within the community. In the same manner, I believe that the more exposure FGCU students have to the gifts of the food forest, the more restored and rejuvenated they will feel. I believe even if FGCU students were to volunteer for two hours a week or visit the food forest to get free organic vegetation crops, this can cause the students to take a mental break, uses the resources of the community, and perform better in classes since they are not always performing under stress. The food forest is therefore a very beneficial factor that FGCU has to offer.

References:
1.) Mission Statement: http://www.fgcu.edu/Provost/files/Revised-Vision-Mission-Statement-2015.pdf